Jon Landau

Jon Landau (born May 14, 1947) is an American music critic, manager, and record producer. He has worked with Bruce Springsteen in all three capacities. He is the head of the nominating committee for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Landau grew up in the Boston suburbs and earned a degree in History from Brandeis University with honors.

As a critic, Landau wrote for Rolling Stone from its first issue and for other publications. In Volume 1, Number 1 of Rolling Stone, published on 9 November 1967, Landau compared Jimi Hendrix and his debut album, Are You Experienced, to Eric Clapton and Cream's debut album, Fresh Cream (both released months before, and both Hendrix and Cream having made huge American splashes as live performers that summer). The next few issues saw Landau staking out more traditional R&B and soul territory with profiles of Aretha Franklin, and Sam and Dave, plus a posthumous Otis Redding appreciation.

Landau's 1974 article in The Real Paper, wherein he claimed, "I saw rock and roll future and its name is Bruce Springsteen," is credited by Nick Hornby and others with fostering Springsteen's popularity. Landau was then hired by Springsteen, and is cited as co-producer on Springsteen studio records from 1975's Born to Run through 1992's Human Touch and Lucky Town. Landau is considered to have influenced Springsteen artistically as well as professionally.

Jon Landau (film producer)

Jon Landau (born July 23, 1960) is an American film producer.

Life and career

Landau was born in New York City, New York, the son of Edie, a producer, and Ely A. Landau, a studio executive and producer. He is from a Jewish family. He attended the USC School of Cinematic Arts. He is best known for producing Titanic, a film which won him an Academy Award, and most recently, Avatar. Throughout the early '90s, Landau was Executive Vice President of Feature Film Production at Twentieth Century Fox.

In 2009, Landau and James Cameron produced the science fiction blockbuster, Avatar, which has since become the highest-grossing film of all time, surpassing Titanic, which had previously held that position. Avatar earned Landau his second Academy Award nomination, although the award went to the producers of The Hurt Locker.

Awards